“The thought of making wine was always in the back of my mind,” admits Steve Stuart, owner and winemaker of Elevation Cellars. After breaking his leg while working on a ski race crew in Colorado, Stuart returned to engineering and accepted a job at a start-up company in Woodinville. Stuart started making wine in his garage as a serious hobby in 1999. Ten years later he jumped at an opportunity to expand to a commercial level. The winery’s name pays homage to his skiing days in the Rockies (where he met his wife Mary at 9,800-foot elevation) as well as to the winemaking term “elevage,” which implies great care taken during the winemaking process.
Consultant Matt Loso was brought in early, but it’s Stuart’s passion and meticulous attention to his craft that shine through the entire spectrum of wines. “My winemaking technique is focused on achieving full-bodied and approachable wines, built to age, and assembled for structure and complexity,” he says.
Located in the Woodinville Warehouse District, the boutique winery expanded in early 2015 from a single bay that housed the full operation to three bays in close proximity. The expansion included a new tasting room surrounded by a barrel room where wines age at a consistent “cave” temperature. Tastings are held in either the production area or the barrel room (within the same building), affectionately referred to as Upper or Lower Elevation.
Elevation Cellars 2010 Monolith, $36
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding
This polished Cabernet-forward Bordeaux varietal blend consists of Cabernet (71%), Merlot (17%), Petit Verdot (8%), Malbec (3%) and Cabernet Franc (1%) sourced from Hedges and Stillwater Creek vineyards.
Nose: Red and black fruit, crushed rock and earth.
Taste: Delivers vibrant cherry and dark berry flavors framed with dusky accents of mocha, loamy earth, dried tarragon, mint and sage, with finely integrated tannins and fresh balanced acidity.
Elevation Cellars 2013 Black Peak Tempranillo, $38
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding
Stuart sourced this finely balanced Tempranillo predominantly from StoneTree Vineyard and patiently aged it for 22 months.
Nose: Dark red fruit, cocoa bean, saddle leather, rose petal and clove-infused baking spices.
Taste: Full, rich and powerful with chewy tannins and big flavors of black fruit, cassis, black raspberry, dark plum, black tea, allspice and loamy soil minerality.
Elevation Cellars 2013 Imperium Riesling, $17
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding
Sourced with fruit from Lawrence Vineyard, this off-dry Riesling delivers creamy textures and lush, pure aromas and fruit flavors of pear, kiwi, mandarin orange and ginger. Finishes with enticing waxy notes wrapped around a core of clean minerality.
Website: www.elevationcellars.com